The FINANCIAL — Having a Bachelor’s degree is the most common obligatory requirement from recruiters when it comes to employees, according to human resource managers in Tbilisi interviewed by The FINANCIAL.
For middle and higher management positions the major requirement is a Master’s degree. Knowledge of the languages English and Russian are required the most. As for specific certificates there are no major requirements from HRs.
“Bank Republic’s major requirements for staff credentials are: a Bachelor’s degree in business related fields with sound and high level academic knowledge combined with knowledge of the English language, other specific requirements are determined according to the position being advertised,” said Teona Samsonadze, BR Senior Recruitment Specialist.
“As for managerial positions, the company naturally requires a Master’s or higher degree in business related fields, fluent knowledge of the English language, sound academic background and good work experience in the related position,” Samsonadze added.
As for the retail sector, according to Nino Kurtanidze, HR Specialist at Nikora, “the major requirement of staff can vary as it depends to which position he or she is applying. General requirements however are as follows: he or she must be competent in his/her own work, must have a high sense of responsibility and should be a hard worker.”
“There are different selection criteria for qualified and entrance staff, and therefore requirements differ greatly; at our company we are more often looking for entrance staff – shop consultants who are not expected to meet high educational or background criteria, for many of them this is their first job, of course in equal positions preference will be given to candidates with a high level of education and good knowledge of foreign languages, but this is rare,” said Keti Khapava, HR Manager of Adress, retail company incorporating many world famous clothing brands.
“Concerning middle management level staff, the situation is totally different, for these positions we are looking for candidates with specific educational and professional backgrounds (for example finance, audit) and English language is a must as we deal with several international partners,” added Khapava.
As for the hospitality field no such certificates are required. “Certificates for employees in the hospitality field are provided through internal trainings. Consequently, we only request a certificate if the employee is coming from another hotel,” said Ekaterine Lomidze, HR Manager at Radisson BLU Iveria.
“The main foreign languages that are required are English and Russian; both written and verbal skills. It is necessary to have a Bachelor’s degree and preferable to have a Master’s degree as well. Relevant experience is always a plus, in some cases a must. The requirement of any certificate depends on the vacancy, but mostly the company requires a candidate to have all the certificates that they claim to possess,” said Nino Khachapuridze, Head of the Human Resources Management Division at GPI Holding.
“The requirement of certain certificates depends on which position he or she is applying to. For example: in Georgia there is no high school or university for trainers, in this kind of situation you can ask candidates to bring along their certificate,” Kurtanidze said.
As well as educational background and certificates, there are several personal qualities HRs require from future employees.
Khachapuridze said that she mostly appraises individuals’ relevant education and experience, on being: well organized, with a sense of responsibility, ability to work under pressure, analytical thinking, ability to work independently as well as part of a team, ability to meet deadlines and having good interpersonal skills.
“During the selection of candidates it is important for them besides required technical skills to demonstrate high motivation for working in our industry, plus to have the desire and abilities for professional growth,” said Khapava.
Kurtanidze considers that different positions require different types of communication skills, however she did identify certain kinds of desirable personal characteristics such as: strong and logical analytical skills, detail oriented, adaptable and communicable skills.
“The main personal characteristics our company values the most are: ability and desire to develop, self-motivation, innovation, creativity and enthusiasm,” believes Samsonadze.
International exams such as TOEFL, GMAT, IELTS, BEC, SAT and GRE are becoming more and more popular in Georgia. However, the exams are mostly demanded at foreign universities rather than Georgian companies. The cost of passing TOEFL is 160 USD. The TOEFL exam is held by American Councils in Georgia. The cost of taking an IELTS exam at the British Council is 80 GBP. As for the GMAT fee it consists of 250 USD, SAT and GRE – 71 USD.
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